Network service providers (e.g., wireless carriers, Internet service providers, etc.) often charge users to access network content by way of the providers' networks based on the amount of data that the users utilize while accessing the network content. For example, a network service provider may impose a maximum data usage amount per billing period (i.e., a data usage quota) with excess data usage being billed separately, charge a predetermined amount per unit of data usage (e.g., when a wireless device user is roaming on another wireless network), or allow a user to pre-pay for a predetermined amount of data usage.
Unfortunately, maximum data limits may deter a user from accessing network content, especially in cases where the user must budget data usage in order to avoid incurring additional charges. Many such users may refrain from accessing network content (e.g., a mobile device application, image content, video content, advertisement content, and other potentially high-bandwidth network content) because they do not want access to such content to count against their predetermined data usage limits and/or because they do not want to pay for the data used in accessing such network content.
Hence, if a user could receive subsidized access to network content (i.e., if a sponsoring entity were to pay for at least a portion of the data that is used to access the network content), many such users would be willing to experience advertisement content together with the network content, even if the network content does not normally include advertisements. However, the quantity, type, and/or duration of advertisements that each user in a group of users would be willing to experience in exchange for subsidized access to the network content may vary significantly from user to user. For example, a first user who is close to exceeding his or her predetermined data usage limit may be much more willing to experience a relatively high duration of advertisement content in order to access network content than a second user who is not close to exceeding his or her predetermined data usage limit.